James 5:17–19 Amp
The ministry of resurrection involves more than just asking God to send down more power from heaven. It includes more than just petitioning Him to give us help from above. Spirit-led prayer actually releases that power from within us. It opens the door of our spirit so the power needed to bring change in a situation can flow from our inner man.
When we pray in the Spirit, rivers of living water go forth from us to oppose the plans of the Devil. They flow out and bring divine life to the person or situation we are praying for. James 5:16 says it this way: “…The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working]” (Amp).
That truth is so real to me that many times I actually envision miracle-working power pouring out of me as I pray. With the eyes of my heart, I can see it rushing out into the world making God’s resurrection life available wherever it’s needed.
Sometimes I picture myself like Elijah on the mountaintop. Remember how he prayed with his head between his knees until the drought in Israel was broken and the rain God promised had begun to fall? One translation of the Bible describes that event in Elijah’s life by saying that “with all the combined energies and forces of God within him, he prayed.”
For Elijah, prayer was a means of projecting the power of God full force into the world. His prayers stopped and started things. They brought enough resurrection power on the scene to prove to a generation of Israelites who had been spiritually deadened by idolatry thatthe God of Abraham is the only living God.
Do you believe you can pray with the power Elijah did?
The Bible says that you most surely can. It says that every born again Spirit-filled child of God can do it. Think of it! Elijah was just as human as we are. He dealt with all the same natural frailties and emotions. Yet his prayers brought the fulfillment of God’s promises. They brought the Devil to his knees and changed the nation. His prayers truly made tremendous power available, dynamic in its working.
Ours can do the same thing.
Isn’t that thrilling? Doesn’t it excite you to realize that you can go boldly before the throne of grace and get the same results Elijah did? I don’t know about you, but that makes me want to spend more time at that Throne. It makes me want to challenge the death grip theDevil has gotten on the world around us. It makes me more determined than ever to pray and release God’s resurrection life!
Scripture Reading: 1 Kings 17:1; 18:1–46
Source: Devotions for the Praying Heart by Lynne Hammond.
Excerpt permission granted by Lynne Hammond Ministries
On the chilly March night in 1972 when Lynne Hammond took her first step into a life of Spirit-led prayer, she had no idea what was about to happen. All she knew was the hunger in her heart for God wouldn’t let her sleep. In the few short months she’d been born again, her desire to fellowship with Him had grown so strong she could hardly contain it. “Help me, God!” she cried. “I want to know you. I want to be able to talk to you. Please, teach me to pray!”
Suddenly, a heavenly presence flooded the room. Lynne sensed waves of spiritual fire sweeping over her and a beautiful language began to flow like a river from within her. Although she’d never heard of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, she knew instantly, without a doubt—this was God!
What began that night soon blossomed into a life of prayer that ultimately became a ministry of prayer when, in 1980, Lynne and her husband, Mac, founded Living Word Christian Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Under Lynne’s leadership, the prayer ministry at Living Word has become an internationally recognized model for developing effective pray-ers in the local church.
A teacher and an author, Lynne publishes a newsletter called Prayer Notes, has written numerous books, and currently serves as the national prayer director for Daughters for Zion. Her passion for inspiring and leading others into the life of Spirit-led prayer continues to take her around the world to minister to believers whose heart cry, like hers, is “Lord, teach me to pray!”